Why Real Estate?

How We Left a Thriving Business to Build Something More Meaningful

People sometimes ask us how we ended up in real estate after running a successful web development company for 18 years. The answer is both simple and complicated—like most of life’s big transitions.

Leaving What Was Safe for What Was Possible

After nearly two decades building websites and marketing strategies for hundreds of clients, we found ourselves going through the motions. Don’t get us wrong—we were good at what we did, and the business was thriving. But we were doing the same things over and over, solving the same problems we’d solved a hundred times before. We needed a new challenge.

Was it scary to walk away from an 18-year-old business? Absolutely. But here’s what those 18 years taught us: we could learn anything we didn’t already know. Building that company from scratch had given us confidence in our ability to figure things out, adapt, and succeed in new environments.

David made the leap first, getting his real estate license in 2009,  and still working in the web company.  The real estate market was reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and the bursting of the housing bubble, but he loved it immediately—the complexity, the problem-solving, the human element that had been missing from our tech-focused work. Tom got his license in January 2020 (great timing, right before a pandemic!), transitioning from marketing director for our real estate team to becoming an agent.

Why We Do Things Differently

Early on, we noticed something that bothered us. We were negotiating our commission with different clients—giving some people “deals” if they bought and sold with us, while charging others full price. It felt wrong. Why should some clients get better pricing just because they asked, while others paid more because they didn’t?

Real estate coaches were telling us the opposite. “Charge as much as possible,” they said. “Add administrative fees to boost your income.” The industry standard was to maximize what you could extract from every transaction.

We just couldn’t get behind that approach. It didn’t feel fair, and it didn’t align with how we wanted to do business.

We looked at other successful businesses—companies that did high volume without charging premium prices. We realized we could earn a great living and differentiate ourselves from the competition if we provided exceptional service, charged less and served more clients than average. And here’s the thing: by charging lower commissions, we could spend less marketing ourselves and instead invest that money in marketing our clients’ homes. It seemed obvious to us.

When we proposed this “More Service. Lower Fees.” model to our team, they weren’t on board. That was disappointing—we’d built something together and hoped they’d share our vision. But we also knew this was our chance to do something different, to stand out in a sea of thousands of agents all doing the same thing the same way.

So we took the risk. We switched brokerages, Tom got his license, and we went for it.

And honestly? It was exciting. Still is.

What We Didn’t Expect About Real Estate

If we’re being honest, Tom thought real estate would always be fun and joyful—showing beautiful homes, celebrating closings, handing over keys to excited buyers.

The reality is more complicated, and infinitely more meaningful.

Yes, there are those magical moments: first-time buyers getting keys to their first home, families moving up to a place that finally fits their growing needs, people achieving dreams they’ve worked toward for years. Those moments are pure joy.

But real estate encompasses the whole of life—everything life has to offer. We’ve held the hands of clients selling a beloved family member’s home after their death. We’ve helped couples navigate the painful process of selling during a divorce. We’ve worked with families dealing with serious health issues who needed to downsize quickly.

One of Tom’s first clients was a doctor who was very sick, trying to move his wife into a smaller, more manageable home before he died. At the same time, Tom helped dear friends buy their very first home—the place where they’re now raising two children. He knew immediately, with those first couple clients, that real estate was more meaningful than he imagined.

This work is really about walking beside people through huge transitions. Sometimes those transitions are beautiful, sometimes they’re heartbreaking, and often they’re a complicated mix of both.

And we get to help. We get to make these transitions smoother, less stressful, and yes—help our clients keep more of their hard-earned money in the process.

The Unexpected Gift of Our Background

Looking back, those 18 years in web development and internet marketing weren’t a detour—they were preparation.

Our marketing expertise means we know how to showcase homes in ways that most agents simply can’t match. We understand digital strategy, online advertising, and how to reach the buyers who are looking for exactly what our sellers are offering.

Our business background taught us how to build and implement systems that make operations efficient for us and seamless for our clients. We know how to manage complex projects (because real estate transactions are incredibly complex), track details, meet deadlines, and keep multiple moving parts coordinated.

But here’s what we didn’t expect: all that experience running a business together taught us how to work as a team in ways that benefit every client we serve.

Why the Team Approach Changes Everything

Real estate is incredibly detail-oriented. There are contracts, deadlines, contingencies, inspections, appraisals, title work, and a hundred other moving pieces that all have to come together perfectly.

Having two people deeply involved in every transaction means nothing gets missed. When one of us is showing homes, the other is handling paperwork. When one is dealing with another client’s emergency, the other is always available.

From a business perspective, we complement each other beautifully. David excels at details and systems—he makes sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed. Tom focuses on vision and strategy—the big picture of how everything fits together. Together, we catch what the other might miss and solve problems from different angles.

The Hard Truth and the Beautiful Truth

Here’s what we won’t sugarcoat: real estate is hard work. It’s long hours and sudden, unexpected demands. If a client wants to see homes today, we go today. Inspections don’t always happen during convenient business hours. Problems don’t wait for Monday morning to appear.

But here’s what makes it worth it: We’re helping people through some of the biggest moments of their lives. We’re there when families find the perfect home. We’re there when someone is ready to let go of a house full of memories and move forward. We’re there when couples take that scary, exciting step into homeownership for the first time.

We provide more than real estate services. We provide steady hands during uncertain times. We provide expert guidance when clients are making huge financial decisions. We provide advocacy when negotiations get tough. And yes, we provide strategies that help clients keep thousands more dollars in their pockets.

Why This Matters to You

You might be wondering why our story matters when you’re just trying to buy or sell a home in Denver.

Here’s why: Our path to real estate wasn’t typical. We didn’t become agents because it seemed like an easy way to make money or because we couldn’t figure out what else to do. We walked away from a successful business because we wanted to do work that mattered more, that challenged us, that connected us to people during real moments in their lives.

We built our “More Service. Lower Fees.” model because we believe you deserve better than an industry that tells agents to charge as much as possible while doing as little as necessary to earn it.

We work as a team because we’ve learned that two people who truly collaborate deliver better results than one person working alone—no matter how talented that person is.

And we show up fully for every client because we remember what those early clients taught us: you’re not just buying or selling a house. You’re navigating a major life transition, and you deserve people in your corner who understand that, who’ll work tirelessly to protect your interests, and who genuinely care about your success.

Our Commitment to You

Whether you’re buying your first home or your fifth, whether you’re upsizing with excitement or downsizing with bittersweet emotions, whether this is the best time of your life or one of the hardest—we’re here for all of it.

We’ll bring our experience, our expertise, our systems, our marketing knowledge, and our commitment to fair pricing. We’ll bring our detailed focus and our big-picture thinking. We’ll bring our availability, our responsiveness, and our determination to get you the best possible outcome.

But most of all, we’ll bring our whole selves to your journey, because that’s what this work demands and what you deserve.

That’s why we chose real estate. And every time we hand keys to new homeowners or help sellers move forward to their next chapter, we’re reminded that we made exactly the right choice.

Ready to work with a team that’s in this for the right reasons? Contact David Lampe and Tom Grant at The Principal Team. Let’s talk about your real estate goals and how we can help you achieve them—with more service, lower fees, and genuine care for your success.

Real estate isn’t just what we do—it’s how we get to be part of your story during one of life’s biggest chapters.